Mahmoud Abbas: “On the anniversary of the [Fatah] Launch, we renew the promise to our blessed Martyrs, that we will follow the path of the Martyr Brother Yasser Arafat and his comrades among the leaders of all the fighting forces, all the Martyrs.
Among them, I mention Martyr Abu Jihad (Khalil Al-Wazir), Martyr Abu Iyad (Salah Khalaf)… Martyr Abu Ali Iyad; Martyr Abu Sabri Saidam; Martyr Abu Yusuf Al-Najar… Martyr Abu Al-Walid Saad Sayel… Martyr Sheikh Ahmed Yassin; Martyr Abd Al-Aziz Rantisi; Martyr Ismail Abu Shanab; Martyr Fathi Shaqaqi; Martyr George Habash; Martyr Omar Al-Qassem… Martyr Abu Ali Mustafa; Martyr Abu Al-Abbas… may Allah have mercy on them all. These, in addition to tens of thousands of Martyrs and heroes.
Now let us recall the pioneers: The Grand Mufti of Palestine, Haj Muhammad Amin Al-Husseini. We also recall Ahmed Al-Shuqeiri, founder of the PLO. We also recall Yahya Hammouda, Chairman of the PLO Executive Committee, and we cannot forget the one who lit the first spark of the 1936 rebellion, Martyr Izz a-Din Al-Qassam.
They bequeathed to us [the duty] to continue on the path, to work as a unified [force] – for there is no substitute for unity – in order to achieve the national goals and to achieve victory.”

Note: Abu Jihad (Khalil Al-Wazir) was a founder of Fatah and deputy to Yasser Arafat. He headed the PLO terror organization’s military wing and planned many deadly Fatah terror attacks, including the most lethal in Israeli history, the hijacking of a bus and killing of 37 civilians, 12 of them children.

Abu Iyad (Salah Khalaf) - A founder of Fatah and head of the terrorist organization Black September. Attacks he planned included the murder of two American diplomats, as well as the murders of 11 Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics in 1972.

Abu Ali Iyad was appointed head of Fatah military operations in 1966, and was responsible for several terror attacks.

Abu Yusuf Al-Najar was Arafat's deputy, and commander of operations for the terrorist organization Black September.

Saad Sayel - Senior Fatah commander. He led the PLO forces that were based in Lebanon during the early 1980s.
Sheikh Ahmed Yassin - Founder and former head of the terrorist organization Hamas. The Hamas movement is responsible for numerous terror attacks and the deaths of hundreds of Israeli civilians.

George Habash - founder of the terror organization Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). The PFLP planned and carried out numerous terror attacks against Israeli civilians since its founding in 1967 and throughout the Palestinian terror campaign between 2000- 2005 (the Intifada).

Omar Al-Qassem - led a terror squad that crossed the Jordan River into Israel to carry out a terror attack in 1968. Caught by Israeli soldiers, the squad killed two soldiers.

Abu Ali Mustafa - Secretary-General of the terror organization Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PLFP) which planned and carried out numerous terror attacks.
Abu Al-Abbas headed the terror organization Palestinian Liberation Front. He planned the hijacking of an Italian cruise ship in 1985, in which one passenger was killed.

Haj Muhammad Amin Al-Husseini - Grand Mufti of Jerusalem during the British mandate, and spiritual and political leader of the local Arab population. He strongly opposed Zionism and was behind riots and attacks on Jews. During World War II he actively collaborated with Nazi Germany, meeting Adolf Hitler and recruiting Muslims for the Nazi army.

Sheikh Izz A-Din Al-Qassam was an influential Islamic preacher in British Mandate Palestine during the 1930s. He led a Muslim terror group. The terror organization Hamas’ military wing is named after him.